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Firstly, the key you need to understand is that light moves slower in a medium (such as a prism) than it does in nearly free space (such as air). Light is a wave (a propagating oscillation) of the electromagnetic field. Light always travels at the same speed ("c") in free space, including the free space between atoms of a medium.
Sep 8, 2016 · $\begingroup$ "Whenever the light wave reaches a material of lower refractive index n, then the light waves will move slower in that material and this phenomenon will cause bending towards the normal." This doesn't seem to explain bending - why can't the light ray just go on traveling the same straight line path with lesser speed. $\endgroup$ –
The angle of incidence in the water is approximately 39°. At this angle, the light refracts out of the water into the surrounding air bending away from the normal. The angle of refraction in the air is approximately 57°. These values for the angle of incidence and refraction are consistent with Snell's Law.
Mathematics and experiments show that light is a transverse wave – the electric and magnetic field vectors point in directions that are perpendicular to the direction of motion of the light wave (and as it turns out, they also rare always perpendicular to each other). Figure 3.1.1 – Electromagnetic Wave. The red arrows in the figure above ...
Electromagnetic waves. Electromagnetic radiation, is a form of energy emitted by moving charged particles. As it travels through space it behaves like a wave, and has an oscillating electric field component and an oscillating magnetic field. These waves oscillate perpendicularly to and in phase with one another.
Oct 2, 2016 · $\begingroup$ Bending of light classically has been modeled very well with the wave theory of light. You said you do not want to use the wave theory, so if one goes to the particle theory of light, yes, it is QED. You have to understant how the complex wavefunctions of the photons add up to the specific direction of the emergent light beam.
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Why does a light wave change direction?
Is light a wave?
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What happens when light waves reaches a material with a higher refractive index?
What determines the speed of a light wave?
Is bending of light a QED?
Optical Density and Light Speed. Refraction is the bending of the path of a light wave as it passes from one material to another material. The refraction occurs at the boundary and is caused by a change in the speed of the light wave upon crossing the boundary. The tendency of a ray of light to bend one direction or another is dependent upon ...
